This invention relates to a cork knife cleaning apparatus of cork paper cutter in the filter attaching machine for filter-tipped cigarettes.
The filter attaching machine for making filter-tipped cigarettes is equipped with a cork paper cutter, the cork paper being used for binding the filter and cigarette together.
The cork paper in the form of continuous rolled strip is cut to a predetermined length and used for the binding of filter and cigarette. In the filter attaching machine, a piece of filter is two times the final filter in length is inserted coaxially between the two cigarettes of each final length and the cut cork paper is wound around the filter and the cigarette ends cotacting each end of the filter for secure binding.
The cork paper cutter consists of a pair of rotating drums, i.e., a cutter drum with cork knives projecting from the circumference of the rotating drum and a receiving drum facing the cutter drum. The blades of the cork knives cut the cork paper between the two drums.
Before the process of cutting the cork paper, the surface of the paper facing the cork knife is applied with paste. The cork paper is held on the back surface by a carrier drum which has a suction means for secure holding of paper. The receiving drum also has a paper holding means utilizing suction and faces the cutter drum.
As the cork knife cuts the cork paper, the knife blads contacts the paste on the paper and is contaminated by it. The paste used in the cigarettes is the one which is water-soluble or hydrated and which does not mar cigarette's perfume and taste.
In the process of cutting paper not applied with paste, i.e., during the cutting of continuous strip of paper, it is well known that small particles of paper dust attach to the knife blade. The knife blade is further contaminated when cutting the pasted paper.
To prevent contamination of the cork knife blade and maintain its cutting performance and also to prevent contamination of cigarettes or uneven cuts at the cigarette ends, it has been a common practice to stop the machine and clean the knife blade at appropriate times or provide a brush contacting the blade to clean away any contaminating substances during operation. In recent years, a brush applied with olive oil is installed in the path of knife blade to keep it clean.
That is, as the cork knife rotates, the cork knife is wiped clean by the brush containing oil. It is important to apply an adequate amount of oil to the brush. Too much oil will result in the cigarettes being contaminated with oil and too little oil will result in poor cutting performance. Thus, the brush is required to be supplied with an appropriate amount of oil for certain intervals of time.
It is verified that the adequate amount of oil to be supplied is about 2 cc for every 30 minutes. It is also important that the oil should be applied uniformly over the entire width of brush. There has been a demand for automating the oil supply work, but spreading oil uniformly is difficult and has been done manually. That is, the worker removes the rotating brush at certain intervals of time to apply an adequate amount of oil uniformly over the brush. This work, however, is dangerous if perfomed during operation and workers are not willing to do this job because their hands are fouled with oil. The manual oil application also has a possibility of fouling the products, too.